A warrant has been issued for Rusk’s arrest. If convicted on the child exploitation charge, she could face six to 20 years in prison.

Rusk could not be reached for comment.

The accusations against her stem from an incident that happened Nov. 8, 2011. It took a year to bring charges because of time required to subpoena Facebook, Rusk and her daughter’s cellphone provider, along with time needed to review the paperwork and evidence, said Detective Mark Pinkard of the Lafayette Police Department.

Not found elsewhere

“We wanted to make sure to do everything we could for this young lady,” Pinkard said of the victim, who is younger than 18. “A major concern was, you never know who saw the photo. Anyone could have saved it or took a screenshot. Once something is posted online, it’s out there forever.”

Because of that possibility, Lafayette police contacted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for assistance. Investigators thus far have not found the photo posted elsewhere, Pinkard said.

The investigation began Nov. 8, 2011, when the girl’s teacher contacted police over concerns for her well-being.

No comment

The girl had been staying with her grandparents since Nov. 1, 2011. But on the morning of Nov. 8, Rusk removed her from school. No one had heard from the girl since, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Though Rusk’s daughter took the photo using an Apple iPhone, Rusk allegedly had possession of the cellphone when the picture was uploaded to Facebook, Pinkard said.

A friend of the victim then tried to contact her after seeing the photo.

Following is a summary of what took place, according to an affidavit:

When interviewed by police, Rusk told officers that she checked her daughter into a counseling center in Terre Haute, Ind., about 90 miles southwest of Lafayette after noticing the girl’s nude photo on Facebook at 5 a.m. Nov. 8, 2011.

However, the picture was first uploaded via a mobile device that day at 2:34 p.m. The daughter was at the Terre Haute counseling center from 11 a.m. Nov. 8 to 7 p.m. Nov. 9, and she told detectives that her mother had confiscated the iPhone.

When confronted with contradicting information, Rusk allegedly claimed to not use Facebook or an iPhone — though she had an iPhone herself — and that if she had uploaded the picture, it was an “accident.”

The affidavit does not specify a motive, and the Police Department said its policy is to not comment on a suspect’s motive.